Friday, October 20, 2017

football games, school visits, another gorgeous hike and more Eyre gatherings:) {Fall Break 2017 -- part 4}

We lucked out that the days we were able to visit family in Utah also happened to be the days filled with cousin football games. We had wanted to watch these kids play for a while so we hit the jackpot in the football arena.

We raced from Provo (last post) up north of Salt Lake to watch this nephew Micah in his Sophomore football game.

He nailed it, meaning he's pretty dang good, and they won the game keeping their undefeated streak. I loved having my sis-in-law Julie sitting next to me explaining all the action (honestly I'm horrible at football I tell you!).

We sat on these bleachers that were somehow on stilts built into a mountain side so that canyon breeze was nippy coming through and we felt a little like we were in Antarctica. (I think the biggest thing I learned on this trip is that we sure are wimpy desert-dwellers.)

Loved getting to give Micah a hug at the end and run off to my sister Saren's boys' game later that night to meet up with her family and Lucy who had gone home with them from Provo.

They were playing their big rivals so they held the game at Weber State University to hold the crowd and it was quite a game.

Their team hasn't won against these big rivals in years so the pressure was on and there was so much excitement in the air.

...which escalated when they won in double over time and it was so fun to be in the middle of all that whopping and hollering and jumping around in delight.

We went home to their house along with a crowd of friends and ate cookies and talked until late. It seems that every time we go to Utah we stay with my parents so we don't get the chance to just be one on one with this family very often and we sure loved it.

The next morning Grace and Claire had the opportunity to go to school with their cousins.

Claire was over-the-moon excited about this little dealio, and she and her cousin found the perfect school uniform from Eliza's closet to help her fit in.

Grace was surprisingly excited as well, mixed in with a lot more nerves.

I mean, it was high school after all.

But she came back pretty glowing like Claire was. So grateful for that opportunity they had to see how different schools run.

While the kids were gone, Lucy stayed with one of Saren's twins and played games galore while Saren and I went and hit a mountainside to check out the beauty of the fall foliage that neither of us could get enough of.

Honestly, that place was at it's peak and our hearts were soaring with love for it all.

I'm so grateful my parents gave us that love of nature that we can feel almost vibrating through our bones when we're in the middle of it.

And I love that they gave me that sister of mine who's guided my way through so much of life.

Obviously we couldn't get enough:)

I loved that there was this "single tree" at the end of the trail:

Reminded us both of that Grandfather's Secret my Dad has taught all our kids (back HERE).

We were starving by the time we got back to we treated ourselves to this:

...and these two came to join us mid-way through all that deliciousness to tell us all about their day at high school together:

We all met up at Waffle Love after that which all those kids were so mad about.

HA!

And we visited this awesome art house right down the street from Saren's house, crunching these gorgeous big leaves along the way:

I think they are so beautiful, even with the wrinkled, faded colors. (more about my leaf-love HERE)

Next stop for our last night in town was Dave's sister Julie's house.

We didn't get any pictures at their home, so I'm posting this one in lieu of that, to say that man alive I love this family.

Yes they have five other kids as well, this was just taken after Elias's game, but just look at that awesome couple right there. They are power I tell you. I love that I get to be related to them.

The plan was for us to go to Micah's varsity game that night (the nephew we had watched in his sophomore game the afternoon before). But Julie made an executive decision to stay and have a girls night since she knew they were going to get crushed. So we did. Loved sitting up late talking and talking and then adding Seth to the conversation when he got back from the game.

The next morning was our other nephew's game.

They played a pretty great game and I think we might have been good luck charms because every game we went to was a win :)

The sun was out and the sky was beautiful lighting up the mountains of gorgeous fall as a backdrop and the world was just so crisp and clean.
This kid was a star and he and his team played such a great game to win their semi-finals.

This is a football family for sure and we so loved being with them.

We hugged them goodbye and headed to meet my sister Saydi who happened to be in town at the same time. But en route made a quick stop to hug my dear high school friend Maureen.

Those girls up there are lucky to have that extra "aunt."

Then we got to catch Saydi and her husband who were in town.

And when there is one or more Eyres around we all just feel compelled to gather.

I love it.

My brother from Provo and his family came up to Salt Lake to drop off my other brother Eli at the airport (the one who was in town from NYC who we hung out with a couple nights before). They met up with us and Saydi and Jeff...

...and then Saren and her daughter came to gather as well.

I love those folks with all my heart.

We also snuck in a visit with Dave's cousin (who I call my cousin too, love her so) Heather.

(Obviously those girls love her too.)

Phew. Seriously, that was a whirlwind family tour, if you've made it this far, thanks for coming along! So grateful we got to hang with all those people I love.

Two more stops to see some beauty in the next post and then I'm done recording this adventure we call Fall Break.

11 comments:

Study after study shows that tackle football causes brain damage. I have no idea why parents continue to encourage their kids to play. It freaks me out to see otherwise thoughtful parents cheering away at football games. It's the moral equivalent of cheering while your kid smokes pot, drives recklessly, or some

I have a friend who is a neurologist. He says he sees equal concussions from soccer, lacrosse and volleyball as he does football. Also the equipment and precautions these days are so much better now than in the past. I have a son who is very athletic and has played every sport but football is his passion. I'll tell you what football is intense, the practices, conditioning and expectations and the discipline he is learning and the friendships and family aspect of this sport are second to none. You make your choices for your kids and I'll make them for mine.

She is their aunt, not their mom. Its important to see kids doing their best at the activites that they and their parents chose to do. We all have agency to look at what information is available and make a choice. All parents have their kids take a physical and sign a waiver to participate in sports. This means her inlaws have contact with a physician. I think its a new trend. A person reads something bad about immunizations, sugar, cheer or football and feels the need to get everyone else to think their way about those things.

Whaaaat!!? You were in my town of Pleasant View at Weber High?? So awesome! I hope you enjoyed your time up here in my beautiful town. So fun to see you enjoying some of the same spots that we enjoy here in Ogden.